Vincent J. Gamuzza, Health Care Fraud, NJ, 2023

A New Jersey optometrist is staring down federal prison time after being indicted on health care fraud charges tied to phony medical claims submitted across Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Dr. Vincent J. Gamuzza, 30, of Hazlet, New Jersey, was named in a one-count indictment returned Oct. 12 by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh.

Gamuzza, who operated multiple vision centers in Western Pennsylvania and his home state, allegedly billed Highmark, Inc. for medical services that were never performed. The scheme, detailed in the indictment, hinges on deliberate, repeated submissions to the insurer for treatments and exams that existed only on paper — a grift that could carry a decade behind bars.

Federal prosecutors say the fraud exploited the trust baked into the health care system, turning routine vision claims into a vehicle for theft. Each false submission siphoned funds from insurers and, ultimately, taxpayers and policyholders. The law allows for a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.

The case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Robert S. Cessar, who is pushing forward on behalf of the government. No plea has been entered yet, and court records show Gamuzza has no prior federal convictions — though that won’t shield him from steep penalties if found guilty.

The investigation was a joint operation between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General. Agents combed through billing records, patient logs, and insurance filings to piece together the alleged scam, which spanned multiple clinic locations and months of operations.

An indictment is not a conviction. Dr. Vincent J. Gamuzza, 30, of Hazlet, New Jersey, is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. But federal health care fraud cases like this one rarely come without hard evidence — and the feds don’t file charges unless they’re ready to burn the paper trail.